Going Rate Reductions for Your SOC Code: UK Skilled Worker Rules (2026)

In 2026, going-rate reductions on the UK Skilled Worker route work by paying a percentage of your occupation's standard going rate, subject to a salary floor: new entrants 70% (minimum £33,400), STEM PhD holders 80% (minimum £33,400), non-STEM PhD holders 90% (minimum £37,500), postdoctoral roles 70%, and Immigration Salary List entries at least £33,400 plus the full standard going rate. The general salary threshold is £41,700, published per-occupation lower rates exist for 55 of the 299 SOC codes we track, and the hourly floors are £17.13 and £12.82.

Updated 7 August 2026: every figure in this guide has been re-verified against gov.uk — the Immigration Rules' Appendix Skilled Occupations, the published going-rate tables and the current Skilled Worker pay guidance. The Immigration Salary List section reflects the rule exactly as gov.uk states it today.

Each reduction has its own published figures and its own small print, and none of them applies by default. This guide works through the method step by step using gov.uk's figures only. If you have not yet found your occupation's standard going rate, start with our UK Skilled Worker going rate 2026 guide, or go straight to the SOC codes with salary — full going-rate lookup.

Skilled Worker going rate reductions at a glance (2026)

Every reduction in the 2026 rules follows the same shape: a percentage of the standard going rate, subject to a salary floor. Here is the full set in one table.

Category	Rate	Salary floor	Notes
Standard case	100% of the standard going rate	£41,700 general threshold	The default position for most applicants
New entrant	70% of the standard going rate	£33,400	Capped at 4 years total — see our new entrant salary guide
PhD relevant to the job (STEM)	80%	£33,400	Doctorate in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics subject relevant to the role
PhD relevant to the job (non-STEM)	90%	£37,500	Doctorate in another subject relevant to the role
Postdoctoral role	70%	—	Capped at 4 years
Immigration Salary List	Full standard going rate — no percentage discount	£33,400	Most entries to 31 December 2026; codes 6135/6136 to 22 July 2028

Two things frame every row. First, the percentages apply to the standard going rate for your specific SOC code, so the same category produces very different salaries in different occupations. Second, the floors always bind: whatever the percentage produces, the published minimum for your category still has to be cleared. For how these figures sit alongside the wider route minimums, see our UK visa sponsorship salary thresholds 2026 guide.

How do you work out your going rate reduction?

Find your SOC code's standard going rate, check whether you match a reduced category — new entrant (70%), STEM PhD (80%), non-STEM PhD (90%) or postdoctoral role (70%) — then read the published lower rate for your code and apply the salary floor. Your salary must clear both the floor and the applicable going rate.

In practice, that means four steps:

1. Find the standard going rate for your SOC code. Every eligible occupation has one, and it is the starting point for every reduction. You can find yours in seconds in our SOC code lookup.
2. Check whether you match a reduced category. The categories are published, not discretionary: qualifying new entrants, holders of a relevant PhD, postdoctoral roles, and occupations on the Immigration Salary List. If none fits, the standard case applies.
3. Read the published lower rate for your code. For 55 of the 299 SOC codes we track, the official tables print the reduced figure directly alongside the standard one — so you read it rather than calculate it.
4. Apply the floor. The reduced figure never takes you below the published minimum for your category: £33,400 for new entrants and STEM PhD holders, £37,500 for non-STEM PhD holders. The hourly floors of £17.13 and £12.82 do the same job for non-standard working patterns.

The salary that counts is the higher of the floor and the applicable going rate — clearing one but not the other is not enough.

What is the published lower going rate?

A published lower going rate is the reduced, per-occupation salary figure printed alongside the standard rate in the official tables. Of the 299 SOC codes we track, 55 carry a dual-verified published lower rate. It applies only where your circumstances match a published reduced category — never by default — and the relevant floor still binds.

Two points stop most confusion here. First, the lower going rate is per occupation: most SOC codes do not have one at all, and if the tables do not publish a lower figure for your code, there is no per-occupation reduced figure to read. Second, a published lower rate on your code's row is necessary but not sufficient — your circumstances must match a reduced category such as qualifying new entrant, and the category's floor (£33,400, or £37,500 for a non-STEM PhD) still applies alongside it.

The practical takeaway: never assume a reduction — look your code up. The full SOC lookup shows both rates side by side for every code that has them, and our new entrant salary guide covers the most commonly used category in detail.

How does the Immigration Salary List rule work now?

Under current gov.uk guidance, checked 7 August 2026, an occupation on the Immigration Salary List must be paid at least £33,400 per year and at least the standard going rate for the job. The list itself is closing: most entries run to 31 December 2026, with care codes 6135 and 6136 extended to 22 July 2028.

This is worth reading twice, because it is the part of the rules that changed most: gov.uk's published guidance on ISL pay changed in 2026, and the earlier discount mechanics no longer appear in the current rules. Today, being on the ISL does not reduce the going rate for the job — the salary must meet the full standard going rate, with £33,400 as the accompanying annual minimum. What the list still affects is eligibility and other route features, which our Immigration Salary List 2026 guide covers in full.

The calendar now matters as much as the mechanic. Most ISL entries run to 31 December 2026. The exception is care workers and senior care workers — SOC codes 6135 and 6136 — which are extended to 22 July 2028. The Temporary Shortage List is the successor arrangement: if your plan reaches beyond the ISL's dates, our Temporary Shortage List 2026 guide explains what replaces it and when.

What are the absolute minimums?

The lower salary threshold is £33,400, the general threshold is £41,700, and the hourly floors are £17.13 standard and £12.82 lower. The Health and Care Worker route keeps its own minimum: usually at least £25,000, or the going rate if higher. All figures took effect on 8 April 2026.

The floors are the backstop of the whole system: however a reduction is built, the published minimums still have to be cleared. The hourly floors do for non-standard hours what the annual figures do for a standard pattern — an applicant working different hours has the figures pro-rated rather than compared straight against the annual numbers, which is why the official tables print an hourly figure alongside the annual one.

One minimum sits on its own: the Health and Care Worker route keeps a separate route minimum of usually at least £25,000, or the going rate if higher, per gov.uk's Health and Care guidance (checked 7 August 2026). That is a feature of that route, not a Skilled Worker going-rate reduction — our Health and Care Worker visa 2026 guide covers how its pay rules differ. For the full picture across every threshold, see the salary thresholds guide.

What does a reduction look like for a real SOC code?

Take SOC 1111, chief executives and senior officials: the standard going rate is £88,100 and the published lower rate is £60,000. A qualifying new entrant must be paid at least £60,000 — the published lower figure — which comfortably clears the £33,400 floor, so the going rate remains the binding number.

Here are five real examples from the published tables, all dual-verified against gov.uk:

SOC code	Occupation	Standard going rate	Published lower rate
1111	Chief executives and senior officials	£88,100	£60,000
1121	Production managers and directors in manufacturing	£55,000	£40,000
1122	Production managers and directors in construction	£53,400	£41,400
1123	Production managers and directors in mining and energy	£54,000	£47,100
1131	Financial managers and directors	£75,100	£49,700

Notice how uneven the gaps are: SOC 1131, financial managers and directors, drops from £75,100 to £49,700, while SOC 1123 only moves from £54,000 to £47,100. That unevenness is exactly why a flat mental discount fails — the tables publish the reduced figure per occupation, and the only reliable method is reading the two published numbers for your specific code. The occupation pages in our lookup — for example SOC 1111, chief executives and senior officials — show both rates side by side where a lower rate exists.

Going rate reductions FAQ

Does every SOC code have a published lower rate?

No. Of the 299 SOC codes we track, 55 carry a dual-verified published lower rate. If your occupation is not one of them, there is no per-occupation reduced figure — the standard going rate and the applicable threshold are the numbers that matter. Check yours in the SOC code lookup.

How long can I stay on new entrant terms?

A maximum of 4 years total. Within that window the rate is 70% of the standard going rate, with a minimum of £33,400; after it, the standard figures apply. Our new entrant salary guide covers who qualifies and how the clock is counted.

Do PhD holders get a going rate reduction?

Yes, where the doctorate is relevant to the job: 80% of the standard going rate with a £33,400 minimum for a STEM PhD, and 90% with a £37,500 minimum for a non-STEM PhD. Postdoctoral roles have their own 70% category, capped at 4 years.

Does the Immigration Salary List still discount the going rate?

No. Under current guidance, ISL entries must be paid at least £33,400 per year and at least the standard going rate for the job. Gov.uk's guidance on ISL pay changed in 2026, and the earlier discount mechanics no longer appear in the current rules.

What replaces the Immigration Salary List?

The Temporary Shortage List. Most ISL entries run to 31 December 2026, with care codes 6135 and 6136 extended to 22 July 2028. Our Temporary Shortage List 2026 guide tracks the transition and its dates.

Is there still a £25,000 minimum salary?

Only on the Health and Care Worker route, which keeps its own minimum: usually at least £25,000, or the going rate if higher. It is a feature of that route rather than a going-rate reduction — see our Health and Care Worker visa guide.

Source: gov.uk Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Occupations; the published Skilled Worker going-rate tables; and gov.uk Skilled Worker pay guidance (figures effective 8 April 2026; checked 7 August 2026). This article reports published salary data and is not legal or immigration advice. Figures and rules can change — always check gov.uk for the current position before applying, and speak to a regulated immigration adviser about your individual circumstances.